Big Brother 8
Big Brother 8 was the eighth series of Big Brother UK; it aired in the summer of 2007. All the housemates who entered on Day 1 were female. The first male housemate was added two days later. At 94 days, it was the longest series of Big Brother in the UK. Housemates Amanda & Sam Amanda Louise Marchant and Samantha Joanne Marchant (born 26 June 1988) are the first set of twins ever to appear on Big Brother in the UK. Both are social-care students from Knutton, Newcastle-under-Lyme and before entering the house were students at Manchester Metropolitan University. Nicknamed by the press as Samanda, the pair celebrated their birthday on Day 28. When the two entered the house, they were classified as separate housemates. Following an offer by Big Brother, the twins chose to become a single housemate on Day 69, meaning that the twins nominate together, participate in tasks together and face the public vote together. Amanda shared a kiss with Brian in the early hours of Day 70. Amanda and Sam were voted second and left the house on Day 94 with an overall winning voting percentage of 39.7%. In August 2010, they re-entered the house to participate in a task on Ultimate Big Brother. Amy Amy Alexandra(born 14 March 1986) is a 21-year-old glamour model from Grimsby, Lincolnshire who entered the House on Day 59 as a 'halfway housemate'. Amy was evicted on Day 73 with 58% of the public vote. Amy has since recently been unveiled as the new face of adult channel "Television X.". Billi Nabeel "Billi" Bhatti (born November 1981) is a model from Uxbridge. He has appeared in several music videos, including the one for Jamelia's Beware of the Dog. His model stage name is Massimo. He was evicted on Day 31. Brian Olawale Mohammed "Brian" Belo (born 10 July 1987 in Nigeria) is the winner of the eighth series of British reality television show Big Brother from Basildon, Essex. He celebrated his birthday on Day 42. He has recorded all episodes of previous series. Winning the show meant he became the recipient of the £100,000 first prize. Brian thereby became the youngest winner of a regular Big Brother series to date, as well as the first non-white winner and the first series winner who was not in the House from Day 1. He was born in Nigeria and was adopted and brought over to the UK. He believes in Cosmic Ordering. He was noted for his apparent ignorance in regards to William Shakespeare, although his mother stated she felt he was "play-acting a little bit". Belo had been considered by some second favourite to win after he entered the house, to Liam, but overtook him to become favourite until twins Amanda and Sam became a combined housemate. As Belo entered the final week it was speculated that he would come in second but upset the odds to win with 60.3% of the two-way vote, ahead of Amanda and Sam. In January 2008, Belo became a regular on the ITV1 comedy show Harry Hill's TV Burp, where he gives his thoughts on the week's television such as reviewing episodes of Holby City. He also made a brief 2 minute appearance on E4's Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack in which Radio DJ Chris Moyles had sent him into the house to surprise housemates on Day 11. He ran through the House shouting, and when called to the Diary Room, he was informed to his horror he had been "evicted". Carole Carole Ann Vincent (born May 1954) is a former sexual health worker, political activist and demonstrator from East London. She has been arrested on numerous occasions for breaching the peace during demonstrations. She was given the loudest and most positive applause from the audience on entering the house on the launch night. She stood for the Respect Party in the Markhouse Ward of Walthamstow in the 2006 UK Local Election. Carole revealed that she had once taken part in an episode of the debate programme Question Time, but was edited out after being warned for interrupting. Carole took 5th place with 4.9% of the winning votes and left the house on Day 94. Chanelle Chanelle Jade Hayes (born 11 November 1987) is a student from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, studying Spanish, music and English at NEW College, Pontefract. She models herself on Victoria Beckham. She was adopted at a young age, after her mother was murdered. Chanelle started a relationship with fellow housemate Ziggy in the house, though they split up and got back together several times during the series. Chanelle was tested by Big Brother and had the highest IQ in the house, scoring 114.needed On Day 61, (Sunday 29 July 2007), Chanelle left, and re-entered the house after seeing a psychologist. Chanelle left the house on Day 62. She re-entered the House on Day 89 as part of a task, however she had to leave minutes later. Charley Charley Kazim Uchea (born 30 June 1985) is an unemployed self-styled 'it girl' from Lewisham, South-East London. She is a former lapdancer from Stringfellow's Nightclub (although she was fired twice for her over ostentatious dances) and first cousin to Sunderland footballer Kieran Richardson. Charley's entry was speculated by the British tabloid press. She has been fired from every job she's ever had. She was negatively received by the live audience on the launch night. Charley celebrated her birthday on Day 32. It was revealed that on Day 40 Charley had used the word "nigger", although in contrast to Emily (see below) this was not broadcast on the highlights show. She was fake evicted on Day 45, and put back after her interview. It was rumoured that she had been signed up by agent John Noel, who takes care of Big Brother's Davina McCall and Dermot O'Leary, and ex-housemate Jade Goody, causing some people to believe that this is why both Davina and Dermot are such big fans of hers. This rumour was refuted in a statement by Big Brother, where a spokesman explained, "No housemate selects an agent until they have been evicted from the house... A number of different agents have represented evicted housemates over the time, and many have represented more housemates than John Noel... No decision has been made on representation for Charley and that will not happen until she is out of the Big Brother house" . Charley was evicted on Day 59 with 85.6% of the public vote. David David Parnaby (born 1981) is a-25 year-old visual manager from Ayr who entered the House on Day 59 as a 'halfway housemate'. David was evicted on Day 66 with 37% of the vote. Emily Emily Elizabeth Parr (born 15 April 1988) is a drama student from Bristol. She describes herself as an "indie rock and roll queen" and highly intelligent, saying she could read from the age of two. Emily was put up for eviction in the first round of nominations when only Ziggy could nominate. However she was removed from the house as she was heard using the word "nigger" in reference to fellow housemate Charley. This was due to stricter rules imposed by Big Brother which have been put into place after the previous series of Celebrity Big Brother which caused controversy due to remarks made about Shilpa Shetty. Emily was called to the diary room to discuss this with Big Brother during the early hours, and had to leave without any further contact with the other housemates. Her removal from the house was a source of controversy, with over 1,000 complaints about her removal. Emily later complained to Channel 4 regarding favouritism towards housemate Charley when she was not reprimanded for using the same racial slur. In 2008, she landed a brief role of a prostitute in the horror film, The Wolfman, due for release in 2009. Gerry Gerasimos Vallerios "Gerry" Stergiopoulos54 (Greek: Γεράσιμος Βαλλέριος Στεργιόπουλος) (born 1976) is a 31-year-old, originally from Patras in Greece. He moved to the UK in 1995.55 In his entry video, he claimed to be 29 years old. He has three degrees (BA, M.Sc, M.Phil,) in History of Art, Classical Archaeology and History from Edinburgh University and is half-way through a PhD on the influence Bronze Age Art had on Contemporary sculpture, to be submitted to the University of Athens. In 2002 he contributed a chapter to a book entitled Cult and Death, about Archaeology and ancient history.54 His subsequent career was entirely in the commercial Art world including training at the paintings department of Sotheby’s Olympia and working a well-known private gallery in St James, London. He was the 13th housemate to enter the Big Brother house, the second boy after Ziggy. He kissed fellow housemate Seány on 18 June during a game of Truth Or Dare, sharing the first gay kiss of UK Big Brother.56 Gerry was evicted in Week 11, after requesting from the winners of the 'guru task' - Ziggy, Tracey and Amanda & Sam, to chose him for eviction over Carole who had received 50% of the votes that Friday night.57 Following his 80 days at the Big Brother house Gerry appeared on "Big Brother's Little Brother", "Friday Night Project", on the panel of "8 Out Of 10 Cats", "Richard and Judy" and other TV shows. In October 2008 he released a dating manual for women, entitled "Treat them Keen and Keep them Keen" by Random House publishers. The book was favourably reviewed with double page spreads in the "Daily Mail" (29/10/08)58 the "Sun" (30/10/08)59 "Closer" magazine, as well as the ITV daytime show "Loose Women" (30/10/08) His official website is www.treatthemmean.com1 Jonathan Jonathan Durden (born 1957) entered on Day 17. He is a 49-year-old millionaire from Islington. He is widowed with two children, and postponed his wedding to his current fiancée to appear on Big Brother, though he claimed to have not seen Big Brother before. Jonathan walked on Day 35 after being informed his 104-year-old grandmother had died. Jonty Jonty Stern (born 1971) is a 36-year-old museum visitor assistant from North London who entered the House on Day 59 as a 'halfway housemate'. Jonty was voted 6th with 3% of the vote when the first count of the night was taken and left the house on Day 94. He was also the only original Halfway Housemate to make it to the final week. Kara-Louise Kara-Louise Horne (born 25 February 1985) is a student from North London who entered the House on Day 59 as a 'halfway housemate'. She was private school educated, and believes private school is better than state school, and does not like 'common people'. Kara-Louise was evicted on Day 87, along with Tracey, in a double eviction. Laura Laura Jane Williams (born September 1983) is a nanny from the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales. She was evicted on Day 38. In her 38 days in the house, she spent over 400 hours in bed. Lesley Lesley Brain (born 13 February 1947) is a retired head-hunter from Gloucestershire. She is currently living off capital from her previous business. She is the oldest non-celebrity housemate to join the UK Big Brother House so far. Lesley voluntarily left the House on Day 11. Lesley has now published a book on her experiences, "A Minority of One - Lesley Brain's Story of Her Time in the Big Brother House", which is available from Amazon. Liam Liam Andrew McGough (born 20 July 1984) is a tree surgeon from Lanchester, County Durham. In the third week, Seány, Jonathan and Carole (the three people nominated for eviction that week) had to decide who out of the remaining housemates would win £100,000 - they unanimously decided Liam. He celebrated his birthday on Day 52. He was voted to go into the Half-Way House by Shanessa on Day 63. Liam was voted 3rd with 19.1% of the overall winning votes and left the House on Day 94. Nicky Nicky Maxwell (born 3 June 1979) is a 27 year-old bank worker, born in Mumbai but now living in Watford. She was adopted at the age of 1 from Mother Teresa's orphanage. Her half brother, Dev Patel appears in the British teen television drama Skins, playing Anwar Kharral. In her audition tape she said that she did not like men because of their "bullshit". However, she kissed fellow housemate Liam on 18 June during a game of Truth Or Dare, and has admitted to having feelings for him. On Day 5, she celebrated her birthday in the house. She became close friends with Charley, and Tracey, and was named as 'sneaky Nicky' by Gerry, and Liam. She was evicted on Day 52, to a crowd of outrageous boos. Seány Seán "Seány" O'Kane (born February 14, 1982) is a charity worker. He was born in Northern Ireland, but currently resides in Manchester. He appeared in the 2002 movie Bloody Sunday. He took leave from his job as a race relations worker in order to attend the verdict of the trial of Michael Jackson; while there he was shown on Late Night with Conan O'Brien screaming at Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, during a comedy segment. He has also stated that he converted to Islam in 2003, and practised the religion for a short time, but stopped after believing it to be in conflict with his homosexuality. He kissed fellow housemate Gerry on 18th June. Seány was the second person to be evicted from the Big Brother house, as he left on Day 24. He was visibly shocked as Davina announced live that he had received the most votes from the public and that he would be leaving the Big Brother House. Shabnam Shabnam Paryani (born November1984 to Iranian parents) is a receptionist from North London. She had previously appeared on the Channel 4 programme Embarrassing Illnesses complaining of a "flaky scalp" and made it to the panel auditions on Britain's Got Talent. Shabnam was put up for eviction in the first round of nominations but the eviction was cancelled. She faced the public vote along with Carole and Tracey and was the first housemate to be evicted on Day 17, after receiving a 81.4% of the votes. She later went on to release a cover of Lulu's hit single, Shout. Shabnam is set to present a show on BritAsiaTV,starting in April 2008. Shanessa Shanessa Reilly (born 1980) is a 27-year-old care assistant and stripper from Cardiff who entered the House on Day 59 as a 'halfway housemate'. Shanessa won the task of jumping out of a box close to the time of 8:10pm and became an official housemate on Day 63, selecting Liam to go to the Halfway House. Shanessa was evicted on Day 66 with 38% of the vote. Tracey Tracey Anne Barnard (born 5 June 1970) is a cleaner from Cambridgeshire. On Day 7, she celebrated her birthday in the house. Tracey was evicted on day 87, after receiving 38.4% of the vote. Ziggy Zachary Sami "Ziggy" Lichman (born 5 January 1981) is a model from North London, and a former member of the boy band Northern Line. He was the first male to enter the house, entering on Day 3. As part of a nomination twist, Ziggy was the only person to nominate in Week 1. Ziggy has had a relationship with Chanelle in the house, starting with a kiss on June 8, and allegedly having sex on 19 June, though they have split up and got back together several times during the series. He was temporarily reunited with his dog, a Shar Pei named Molly, for a task on Day 55. It has been reported that he has been sent death threats over his treatment of Chanelle. Ziggy was voted 4th with 15.3% of the winning votes and left the house on Day 94. According to the Press, Ziggy was tipped to be penning an entry for the 2008 Eurovision song contest - but it didn't happen. Nominations table 'Notes' Ziggy was told by Big Brother that he would be the only housemate allowed to nominate for the first eviction vote on Day 7. New housemates Seány and Gerry were two of four housemates allowed to nominate, and together they had to choose the other two housemates nominating with them. They chose Sam and Amanda to nominate. Nicky and Charley were among those receiving the most nominations, but Billi and Charley's nominations were discounted so Nicky and Charley did not face the public vote. The evicted housemate, Charley, was interviewed by Davina, with the interview shown on the plasma screen in the house, and then put back in the house. Nominations took place on a Sunday (Day 47) instead of a Monday (Day 48). Chanelle and Ziggy were asked to nominate one housemate each, instead of the usual two housemates, as punishment for discussing nominations previously. After continuous swapping of housemates between the Main House and the Halfway House, the housemates remaining in the Halfway House faced the public vote on from Day 65. However, the second twist to this was whoever faced the votes had an even bigger chance of being evicted, as there was a double eviction. Amanda and Sam chose to become one housemate on Day 69. However, as a result they both faced the public vote. For week 11's shopping task those who won mini-tasks gained "guru status" and were immune from eviction. All other housemates automatically faced the public vote but the Gurus had to decide from the two housemates with the highest number of votes (this was Carole with 49% and Gerry with 24%) who to evict. In Week 12 there was a double eviction. A very close eviction in which Jonty was 0.2% away from being evicted receiving 30.7% while Kara received 30.8%. There were no nominations in the final week as the public were voting for the housemate they wanted to win. . Nomination totals Category:Big Brother UK